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eBay warning!

polypal

polypal

Active Member
Many of our users buy occasionally at auction sites like eBay.

Even buyers with some experience can get burned whatever buyer protection scheme eBay and Paypal offer you.

I bought this lens: ebay item 400153824285.

The lens is rated 8.5 but this concerns only the "optical" condition of the lens.
In fact according to the sellers rating this lens is not a 8.5 but only a 7 because the lens has a defective aperture mechanism and scratches on the front lens.

I lost 250 USD with this joker due to customs clearing (non refundable) return shipping, fax and survey costs.
Latest trick from this guy: He only accepts PayPal payments up to 100 USD.
The rest of your money is lost whatever PayPal decides.

Buyer beware.


Forum moderator
 
A.B.Cameras c/o Bernard Moss, trading on eBay with account ABM-5


Not much Hasselblad for sale though.

Avoid this seller, better safe than sorry.
 
I realy dislike Paypal. I understand that's not possible to pay with this for more than 100$.
I tried to buy here a cfv but I trust only bank. So it was not possible to deal. Then the seller sold it on B where ...I could buy it. I paid with iban. Safe, clear and he spared 3% on 11'000$ he recieved 4 day after my order in his account.

BTW, his US bank was never able to inform him and me about his Iban, however, my (Swiss) bank was able to get it to proceed.


Later I have to use paypal to sell a lens on B worldwide. I wrote "No paypal please". However the buyer used paypal. I never got the cash, only credit month later to buy something else with 97% of the rest after a bad change rate.
 
PayPal is a funny bank.
That bank skimms all amounts coming in, you loose 3-4.5%, uses its own exchange rate, takes 3-5 days to transfer money to a bankaccount.
For sellers PayPal decides what happens when a buyer complains whether the complaint is justified or not.
Whatever Paypal decides there is no appeal possible.

Sellers find their money blocked as soon as there is a complaint and so on.
In fact nobody in his right mind would even think of doing business with PayPal if it were not for eBay that demands this method of payment.

This is an unhealthy situation where the EU commissioner for free trade should take a look at urgently.
 
Oh my, i want to buy something from ebay, i never used it before for anything, so i am really worry to buy from a seller there and face problems or issues, so how can i go with a seller there with no problems?

I asked this question on one forum and still getting the answers, all saying i have to checkout the feedback and reviews, and i asked them is that enough to read the reviews/feedback to trust a seller?
 
Any deal depends on the good intentions of both buyer and seller.
Buying on the internet means finding out is the description correct, does the seller answer questions fully and to the best of his knowledge.

Think about the situation that may arise when the item is not as descibed.
Import duty is lost most of the time.

Sellers like ABM-5 develop a shrewd way to avoid actual description of the item by using their own "grading" system.
Do not bid unless the seller answers detailed questions about the condition of the object.

I sold a lens to a buyer who wrote after he bought the lens he was expecting mint+ condition whatever that is.
The lens was described by me "as new".
This means the lens is as good as new but not actually new.
A lot of gear passes through my hands. This lens is by far the best silver 150 Sonnar I have seen in five years.
I offered a refund although I did not feel the misunderstanding was caused by me.

Millions of eBay auctions give both seller and buyer a happy feeling.
It is the exception to the rule that catches more attention.



Vic.
 
blowupster said:
Anyway, most of sellers here ask for Paypal
Click to expand...


That does not make it right.

Most continental banks encourage money transfers instead of cheques that need to be cleared.
France and the UK are the only exception to that.

After the introduction of the euro payments between EU members are possible with IBAN and BIC or SWIFT codes.
In the majority of cases these transfers are free of charge.

It will take more time to convince users in countries that have cheques as standard method of payment to start using transfers.
IBAN transfers are a safe and fast low cost or even free of charge method of payment.


Vic.
 
Victorh said:
That does not make it right.

After the introduction of the euro payments between EU members are possible with IBAN and BIC or SWIFT codes.
In the majority of cases these transfers are free of charge.
Click to expand...

Between EURO countries transfers are free of charge, EU rule.
 
Banks are not allowed to charge more for IBAN payments than they do for national transfers.
This means most IBAN transfers are free of charge.

Banks in the UK charge a small amount for payments to UK accounts.
Payment from the UK with IBAN can be expensive.

Vic.
 
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